As a dancer and dance teacher, I am always looking for ways to connect the art of movement to other disciplines.  In my search I came upon an interesting article in Scientific American.  The article, call “The Evolution of Dance” by Thea Singer addresses the question: did dancing evolve as an adaptive trait that enhanced our survival?

Over the past decade, scientists have identified a network of nerve cells within the brain that are able to distinguish beat from other auditory signals.  Once the beat is distinguished, the cells then can predict the timing of subsequent beats.  Then the muscles fire in conjunction with the beat, thus making dancing possible.  The product of this marriage between beat and movement is dance.  This coupling of auditory processing and movement is called “entrainment.” Interesting to note that speech and singing also depend on entrainment.

Entrainment comes naturally to humans and  usually starts to emerge in children between the ages of 3 and 5.  It is what makes tapping fingers or feet to a beat possible.  It is interesting to note that certain animals (hummingbirds, parrots and a California sea lion named Ronan)  are also capable of entrainment in that they demonstrated the ability to keep time to a beat.  Humans, however, are the only species that are able to coordinate their movement and execute a partner dance.

The article also addresses how our upright posture affected our ability to dance and recent research suggests that our ability to dance comes more from our ability to run than to walk upright.  The shortening of the toes increased our potential for speed and the increase in size of the inner ear canals improved the ability to balance – both of which are essential for dance.

Dance is typically a partner or group activity.  This social aspect of the art provides an interesting evolutionary perspective.  The coordination and cooperation required of partner/group dance provides a kind of social cohesion that could have easily been beneficial for food gathering and protection against predators.  Additionally, it promotes being a part of something bigger than oneself; it promotes a sense of community.  Research has also shown that an individual’s pain threshold is greater in a group activity than in a solo activity.  We can see that a society that promotes dance would certainly have an evolutionary advantage over a society that did not include dance in its social repertoire.

It is always important to recognize the importance the arts plays in our society and in our evolution.  I was pleased to see this article address the arts  and the invaluable connection they have to science.